RETINITIS PIGMENTOSA (RP) PATIENT GETS STEM CELL IMPLANT.

TransWorldNews.
May 5, 2006.

On April 29, 2006, a Nevada physician performed in a patient with RP, a procedure that might be a first of its kind, namely an Amniotic Stem Cells, Telomerase Enhanced Implant developed by Alfred T. Sapse M.D. (ret) the President of StemCell Pharma.

The post implant follow-up of this case, Unique of its type, will be done by periodical electro retinograms, and ophthalmic evaluations.

Dr. Sapse is an Ophthalmologist, former Assistant Professor in Ophthalmology, at the University Eye Clinic Geneva (Switzerland), Assistant V Dept of Bacteriology UCLA, and Director of the Laboratory of Ophthalmic Immunology, Cedar Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He published more than 20 research papers on the immunology of the eyes in prestigious AMA Journals, including the JAMA, Nature in London and in many other countries; for which hc had been awarded the title of NIH Special Research Fellow.

His involvement with RP and placenta implants goes back more than 50 years in his native Romania, and was rekindled about ten years ago with the discovery of stem cells, one of their main sources being placenta. The main component of Dr. Sapse's invention is the Amnion, a tiny layer of placenta, capable of manufacturing embryonic stem cell, identical with the embryonic stem cells from the embryo, but minus the stigma associated with these cells.

The multiplication of cells pertaining to Dr. Sapse's invention is enhanced through a proprietary technique.

About 10 years ago, scientists, including Dr. Sapse, have reported the presence, in RP patients, of antibodies to retina. While the presence of these antibodies does not necessarily mean the presence of an autoimmune disease, the discovery of another player brings about more credence in the existence in the RP of an autoimmune component and that is the presence in the retina and vitreous of cortisol, an immune suppressive hormone found in elevated levels in other autoimmune diseases such as Mutiple Sclerosis (MS), Lupus (LE). Scleroderma, Hashimoto's, and Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Regardless, the treatment of RP with stem cells might bring about some answers to this hypothesis.